Alleged members of a conspiracy that saw vulnerable youngsters trafficked to sell drugs in Cornwall have taken to the witness stand to explain the evidence against them.

Over the past three weeks three people from Cornwall and a further five from London have gone on trial at Truro Crown Court accused of conspiring to bring Class A drugs down the motorways to be supplied in Cornwall.

Five of the defendants also face charges under the Modern Slavery Act, relating to the alleged exploitation of two vulnerable teenagers who are said to have been recruited by members of the gang under duress.

John Griffin, 56, of Old Market Place, Bodmin, Michael Rowe, 32, of Grosvenor Avenue, Newquay, Irene Sampson, 65, of Wellington Road, St Dennis, and Londoners Jerome Douglas, 33, Darren Bruce, 50, and Shanice Morrison, 28, are all accused of conspiring to supply crack cocaine and heroin with five others who have already admitted the offence.


The drug supply offences are alleged to have happened between December 2017 and December 2018.

Sampson, Orgill, Darren Bruce and Connell Bruce also stand accused of a single modern slavery charge, namely last year arranging/facilitating the travel of another with a view to exploitation, while Griffin faces two such charges.

Connell Bruce, and Amari Orgill opted not to give evidence but Connell’s father Darren Bruce, from Wood Green in London, took to the stand and denied the prosecution’s claims that he was responsible for the hiring of the cars that travelled to the south west.

Jerome Douglas, the man the prosecution claims ran the operation from his prison cell, gave evidence last week.

Darren Bruce described to his defence barrister Joe Hingston that he had one son and three daughters and that he separated from Connell’s mum when Connell was 12 or 13.

He was asked right away if he knew anything about the drug conspiracy, replying “no”, adding that he’s never been to Cornwall and didn’t know anybody in the dock other than his son and his son’s friend Jerome Douglas who he only knew to say hello in passing.

Regarding the hire cars taken out in his name, Darren Bruce said he hired one car in January 2018 for his son as Connell wanted to help his mother expand her West Indian takeaway and didn’t have a bank account to sort it out himself.

Darren Bruce confirmed that he knew it was in breach of the hire agreement but said he did so as he “would do anything to help my son get the lifestyle he wanted” and had no idea it was being used for the transportation of drugs to Cornwall.

When quizzed over cash deposits put into his account, Darren Bruce said they were from Connell to pay for the rental and damage to the car. He denied having any knowledge or involvement regarding the hire of 10 other vehicles.

A passport for Darren Bruce was showed to the jury and stated that he was in Jamaica at the time of one of the other vehicle hires. He had worked with the homeless before going through a breakdown relating to work-related stress and the death of his father.

Darren Bruce then described how, on return from the Caribbean, he received a letter from Devon and Cornwall Police informing him of a speeding fine in the hired BMW.

Mr Hingston then went through a series of texts between Darren Bruce and Connell in which Darren Bruce asked Cornell to retrieve the letters and settle the fine and damage charge as he had left his job due to his mental breakdown and had no money.

Darren Bruce said his mental state was such that he didn’t pay any attention to his finances and let his son borrow his bank account.

Regarding bank transfers to other people linked to the case and further vehicle hires, Darren Bruce claimed he had no knowledge of them and that they were the doings of his son.

When asked if he would have allowed his account to be used for the transfer of drug money, Darren Bruce said: “Not for one second would I have allowed that.”

He described his arrest as “a big shock” and said he answered no comment in interview on advice of his legal team.

Next on the stand was John Griffin.

Liverpudlian Griffin told the jury how he’d lived in Cornwall since the 1980s, originally arriving to work as a chef.

He told his barrister Lee Bremridge that he’d been a heroin user for 20 years.

Griffin confirmed to Mr Bremridge that he used ‘The Billy Line’ phone number to access drugs to feed his £10/£20 a day habit and that he would also receive calls asking if he wanted drugs or had any for sale.

Regarding one of the 17-year-olds said to have been trafficked to Cornwall to sell drugs, Griffin said that when he arrived at his flat he didn’t know who he was or where he came from but received a Billy Line call asking him to put him up for a couple of days in exchange for drugs.

Griffin described how there was very little conversation between him and the 17-year-old and when he arrived Griffin retired to his room unaware of the nature of the drug-related activity going on in his flat.

Griffin said as a heroin addict he “thought of heroin first thing in the morning until he went to bed at night” but never helped the 17-year-old with the supply of drugs to others.

He added that he answered no comment in police interviews on advice of his legal representatives but did concede he helped the boy out with local knowledge.

Griffin also denied arranging or facilitating the travel of another boy, claiming he arrived at his address under the directions of others also in exchange for heroin.

Finally on Friday (August 23), Irene Sampson, 65, of Wellington Road in St Dennis, gave evidence.

She told defence barrister Ramsay Quaife how she was originally born in Redruth and currently suffers from arthritis and depression.

She described being a drug user since 1998, first becoming addicted when she used it for pain relief after an operation went wrong.

Sampson said she had been making progress but relapsed when her dad and brother died in 2017.

Out of everyone said to be involved in the conspiracy, Sampson said she knew Griffin and 20-year-old Timon Davis-Blake who has already admitted conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

When asked how she knew Davis-Blake, Sampson said: “I went to a house in St Austell where I get drugs from and he was there. He told me he could no longer stay there so I told Timon he could stay at my house as it was only one night.

“He ended up staying longer to look after me a bit. He had a seizure while he was staying here and he would stay on and off.

“I thought we were fairly close considering how he looked after me.”

Sampson added that she gave Davis-Blake, who called her 'Nanny', access to a Nokia phone as he was frequently out of credit. She claimed that it must have been Davis-Blake who made calls to The Billy Line and others linked to the case, with the exception of Griffin, who she said hadn’t spoken to in years so she called to see if he was still on the same number.

Regarding several incidents of sums of money being deposited into her account and moved on the same day, Sampson claimed she put the money in on each occasion for Davis-Blake and transferred it into various accounts as instructed, presuming it was for his transport and medical costs at home in London.

When asked about bags seized at her home - two of crack cocaine and two of heroin - Sampson said they were for her own personal use and not payment for putting up people staying in her home.

Responding to the questions of her barrister, Alphege Bell, on Monday (August 26), Shanice Morrison, from Tottenham, told the jury how at the time of the conspiracy she was studying at London Metropolitan University and earning money from hosting shows.

She admitted knowing Douglas as she used to date his friend and Connell Bruce as they went to college together. She said she didn’t know anybody else involved in the proceedings.

Morrison was asked about a number of cars she hired, replying that she hired the cars to transport her 11-year-old son and to visit family in Dorset all because her own car was broken.

Morrison’s mobile phone revealed that she had travelled to Cornwall on around five occasions and she told the jury how she had did so to visit a man she was seeing.

Morrison also admitted transporting Davis-Blake and another person linked to the conspiracy back to London, saying she did so as a favour but not knowing they were involved in drug supply.

She point blank denied being involved in the supply of Class A drugs, possessing drugs or knowingly conveying them in her vehicle.

Regarding phone conversations with Douglas and Connell Bruce, Morrison said they were general phone conversations about life and gossip but nothing to do with drugs before denying being directed by Douglas.

Both Griffin and Sampson deny conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and arranging or facilitating the travel of another with a view to exploitation.

Amari Orgill and Connell Bruce deny arranging or facilitating the travel of another with a view to exploitation. Darren Bruce denies conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and arranging or facilitating the travel of another with a view to exploitation.

Shanice Morrison denies conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and Jerome Douglas conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Michael Rowe pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

The trial continues.